Lisa McFadyen
December 7, 2004
London, England is seen as one of the traditions of England with all its iconic images of Big Ben and Tower Bridge. I may only live an hour away by plane, but I’ve never actually visited London for more than a few hours at a time and even then I’ve really only been passing through when travelling to see friends and family.
A few weeks ago, my partner decided we were going for a break away and he picked London for a weekend. I think a week would have been more appropriate as there is so much in London to see and do for all ages from all walks of life.
We stayed in a reasonably priced hotel called the Fox and Goose in a part of west London called Ealing. The hotel rooms were comfortable and pleasant, although the breakfast left a little to be desired. Neither of us are fans of ham and cheese first thing in the morning, so we opted for the slightly… um… healthier version at McDonald’s round the corner.
Due to me recovering from an energy-sapping virus, we couldn’t do all the things we had originally planned to do, but we still managed to do a fair bit of sightseeing and shopping.
Best place to go for a view of London is the famous London Eye. This attraction gives you a bird’s eye view of London, and on a clear day, it really is a spectacular view. In fact I think I could see almost as far as I could from Toronto’s CN Tower! The Eye is made up of a wheel with glass pods constantly going round, it’s not for the height-fearing tourists like my partner, but even he agreed it was worth it!
Next on our list was the National Gallery as I’m a huge art fan. It is currently undergoing refurbishment in some areas and should be finished within the next year or so but it is a wonderful gallery to look around. It features many world famous works such as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Rubens’ Samson and Delilah, Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks, and A Young Woman Standing At A Virginal, painted by Johannes Vermeer whose painting Girl With A Pearl Earring was the basis of a novel which was recently made into an Academy Award nominated film.
Food wise, we discovered a lovely restaurant in Central London, next to Tower Bridge called the Water Café, which was situated in the Thistle Tower Hotel. In part of the rich region of London, the restaurant has wall length windows looking out onto the river Thames and luxury boats moored to the side with the Tower Bridge towering over the river. The restaurant had a very cosy, comfortable atmosphere even with its open plan design, and it was decorated in warm colours, and tables were lit with candles, which also offered a romantic atmosphere. The menu features main courses such as lobster in a curried sauce, corn fed chicken with frittatas, with desserts such as lemon mousse with passion fruit coulis, and summer fruit pudding.
With Christmas looming, I decided to embark on some early Christmas shopping while in London. Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon in the run up to Christmas is not for the fainthearted, but nevertheless is an experience to behold. Christmas lights gave Oxford Street and Regent Street a festive atmosphere, while I looked for gifts for my friends and family. Oxford Street has many of the High Street stores that are ideal for those shopping on a normal budget. Regent Street however is home of the designer store. Prada, Liberty, Hugo Boss, Molton Brown and the world famous toy store, Hamley’s, can all be found on Regent Street. However, the hidden treasure is found just off Regent Street in Covent Garden. This area has many little shops that are ideal for finding gifts that are a little off beat and alternative.
All these areas are easily accessible from anywhere in London through the Underground, which is easily navigated so long as you have a map! All the major London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted) have frequent, express rail links to Central London where you can join the Underground and find your way around the city.
All in all London is an ideal place for a short break either as part of a romantic break or with friends and family. There is so much to do and see that you really need more than a weekend to see even a part of it.